Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Friday, 16 October 2026, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the fourth time, urging him to convene an all-party meeting before finalising any new legislative proposals for parliamentary consideration. The letter comes amid mounting Opposition concern over the government's approach to far-reaching constitutional legislation.

The Core Demand

In his letter, Kharge called for inclusive consultation before new bills are tabled in Parliament. “Please convene an all-party meeting to have a detailed discussion on your new proposals before they are finalised for consideration in Parliament,” he wrote. He further urged that “all political parties must get sufficient time to deliberate among themselves, with each other and with all other stakeholders.”

Kharge also issued a pointed warning, stating: “Please do not once again try and bulldoze a far-reaching Constitutional Amendment Bill through Parliament as you attempted earlier and that met its well-deserved fate.”

A Pattern of Ignored Requests

The Congress president detailed a timeline of his previous appeals. He noted that he first wrote to Prime Minister Modi on 11 April 2026, requesting an all-party meeting before any Constitutional Amendment Bill on Delimitation was introduced. That request went unheeded. The government subsequently made the bills public on the late evening of 14 April 2026 and convened a special session on 16 April 2026. Kharge had repeated his request on 16 July 2026 and again on 27 August 2026 — both times without a response. Friday's letter, he noted, marks his fourth such appeal.

The Delimitation Bill's Defeat

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 — introduced alongside the companion Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — was tabled in the Lok Sabha on 16 April 2026 by Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. The bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority and was rejected in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026 by what Kharge described as a decisive margin.

An Unprecedented Parliamentary Situation

Kharge also flagged a constitutional anomaly: both Houses of Parliament remain un-prorogued even though the Monsoon Session was adjourned on 13 August 2026. “It has already been 64 days since the Monsoon Session of Parliament was adjourned on August 13, 2026, and both Houses of Parliament are yet to be prorogued. This scenario is unprecedented,” he wrote.

The prolonged gap between adjournment and prorogation has fuelled speculation that the government may be weighing a fresh special session to re-introduce the stalled bills, though no official announcement has been made. Whether the Centre responds to this fourth call for consultation before any such session is convened will be closely watched by the Opposition.